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PUBG hasn’t been the game for a while and the fact it has 200,000 concurrent players means jack shit when COD in its worst years could hold double that in one console. PUBGs console versions are dogshit and the game doesn’t have the clout it used to have so at this point the game is slowly dying. Look at Twitch numbers which matters a lot more then some of you are willing to admit and you’ll how much more viewers fortnite gets.

That’s a good point. Free to play and “AAA” aren’t usually attached to the same game. Apex is both but most others won’t be. I really want AAA development to continue on even though I know it’s a harsh landscape these days.

Oh yea I love Blackout. I use to play it every weekend with my friends. I'm aware of the winter update changing some things but I didn't know they were going to go beyond that. Props to Activision if they support it with proper new content for 3 years.

I know they've changed the original map a bit but are they planning on adding a new map to Blackout?

Most likely the new map will be an IW landmarked one released this fall. The assumption at this point is that the dedicated Blackout team will be making it with IW. But who knows. If the rumors are true and the IW map hits at launch then it will be the fastest new map release for any BR.

Most likely the new map will be an IW landmarked one released this fall. The assumption at this point is that the dedicated Blackout team will be making it with IW. But who knows. If the rumors are true and the IW maps hits at launch then it will be the fastest new map release for any BR.

You said Paragon was mediocre and bland and I am simply in complete disagreement. It may not have been for you (and that's fine), but the game had a lot going on for it and matches were lively as it could be and gameplay was one of the best ever conceived out there on the Moba field. Game simply suffered from a terrible upper management team incapable of absorbing feedback and promotion for the game was flat out nonexistent.

You said Paragon was mediocre and bland and I am simply in complete disagreement. It may not have been for you (and that's fine), but the game had a lot going on for it and matches were lively as it could be and gameplay was one of the best ever conceived out there on the Moba field. Game simply suffered from a terrible upper management team incapable of absorbing feedback and promotion for the game was flat out nonexistent.

Probably and that’s why Blackout will never make numbers like an Apex or Fortnite would. If there was any common sense at Activision at all they’d spin Blackout into free to play as soon as possible. It already has battlepasses and cosmetic purchases ready to go.

It's so awesome to finally have a good BR game without any bullshit. I can't stand Fortnite for the whole 'shoot someone and they turn into a luxury home' aspect and cringe emotes, and PUBG is buggy, clunky, and looks and performs like absolute shit. Also there's no dumb starting area where you just run around doing nothing for absolutely no reason!

That is actually a good point. PUBG and Fortnite still are there own thing and will always have interest. Blackout on the other hand really doesn't have a place in this battle anymore. It is by far the worst of all 3.

Worst is strong, but I feel whatever uniqueness it had from PUBG and Fortnite is gone now with this game. It’s nestled in a fully priced CoD on top of that on consoles. I don’t see it having the staying power.

$60 games are just about dead honestly (unless you're Nintendo). They're definitely dead in Japan.

I had to learn the hard way, I put some money (a little bit) down on Activision last year because of the positive word of mouth of Black Ops 4, seeing as it was going the BR route, and the stock has completely tanked since then.

$60 games are just about dead honestly (unless you're Nintendo). They're definitely dead in Japan.

I had to learn the hard way, I put some money (a little bit) down on Activision last year because of the positive word of mouth of Black Ops 4, seeing as it was going the BR route, and the stock has completely tanked since then.

$60 games are just about dead honestly (unless you're Nintendo). They're definitely dead in Japan.

I had to learn the hard way, I put some money (a little bit) down on Activision last year because of the positive word of mouth of Black Ops 4, seeing as it was going the BR route, and the stock has completely tanked since then.

Couldn’t be more deserving. Way to go Vince. Dude builds a great series for EA goes to activision to create a blockbuster for them, then comes back to EA and has his next IP that had tons of potential sent to die. Great to see him get another amazing franchise up and running.

EA screwed him over multiple times, Medal of Honor and titanfall. They better do some sucking now that he has created a golden goose for the studio. The money this game is about to rake in will dwarf battlefront and battlefield. Prob combined

You just have to look at Japan though. That was an incredibly successful gaming scene and when I see the Media Create numbers, 8 out of 10 titles are from Nintendo and its the same titles every week.

In the west, how many third party $60 games are there? Bethesda's been disappointed by their last few titles. Perhaps its just Ubisoft, EA that can keep churning out their evergreen titles in FIFA and AC. But anything that is not a 'big' franchise by now or isn't from a reputable studio, is a BIG risk at $60.

Also this doesn't have much to do with Apex Legends, so we should get back to talking about that.

You just have to look at Japan though. That was an incredibly successful gaming scene and when I see the Media Create numbers, 8 out of 10 titles are from Nintendo and its the same titles every week.

In the west, how many third party $60 games are there? Bethesda's been disappointed by their last few titles. Perhaps its just Ubisoft, EA that can keep churning out their evergreen titles in FIFA and AC. But anything that is not a 'big' franchise by now or isn't from a reputable studio, is a BIG risk at $60.

Also this doesn't have much to do with Apex Legends, so we should get back to talking about that.

I agree that a $60 title is a risk if you're not established or working with a successful franchise. But I'm not sure F2P is anything less riskier - there are numerous fails in that space.
I also think leaning on one market to determine an overall market trend is shallow at best. The Nintendo heavy trend in Japan is more to do with the Switch than game pricing.

You just have to look at Japan though. That was an incredibly successful gaming scene and when I see the Media Create numbers, 8 out of 10 titles are from Nintendo and its the same titles every week.

In the west, how many third party $60 games are there? Bethesda's been disappointed by their last few titles. Perhaps its just Ubisoft, EA that can keep churning out their evergreen titles in FIFA and AC. But anything that is not a 'big' franchise by now or isn't from a reputable studio, is a BIG risk at $60.

Also this doesn't have much to do with Apex Legends, so we should get back to talking about that.

The bestsellers are on Switch because Japan loves portable consoles. New titles can also sell for 70-80USD. Each.

The idea that full-priced retail titles don't sell well in Japan is ridiculous. It's the same country that still relies on physical movie/music sales, and still has movie rental places. Japan is somewhere that full-priced retail is still king. Go into big electronics stores in Japan and you'll find a huge second-hand market. Physical and full-price release is alive and well over there.

I agree that a $60 title is a risk if you're not established or working with a successful franchise. But I'm not sure F2P is anything less riskier - there are numerous fails in that space.
I also think leaning on one market to determine an overall market trend is shallow at best. The Nintendo heavy trend in Japan is more to do with the Switch than game pricing.

The core issue is the falling ARPU. I bet a lot of those 25M players haven't spent a cent. It's going to be hard to persuade them to spend $60 on many things, especially shooters. So an overall falling ARPU plus rising costs to make a one-and-done AAA SP game, means a lot of risk. It's less risk for the first parties btw, because they collect 100% of the $60 from a digital sale, whereas third party publishers only get $42. Also first parties have the cushion of selling paywall MP subs, and collecting 30% of all MTX sold on the store by any other publisher.